Guitarist found dead after leaving Twin Cities metal band

Justin Lowe – a founding member of the Twin Cities heavy metal band After the Burial – has been found dead, weeks after his former bandmates expressed concern about his mental health.

The New Richmond News reports hikers discovered Lowe's body Tuesday in Somerset, Wisconsin, beneath a bridge that spans the St. Croix River.

The St. Croix County sheriff's department's chief deputy, Scott Knudson, told the newspaper Lowe's cause of death was consistent with a fall and no foul play is suspected. Knudson says Lowe had been reported missing on Saturday.

Lowe, 32, announced in a Facebook post last month that he was leaving After the Burial. The metal site Loudwire published Lowe's lengthy announcement, in which the guitarist asserted there were various conspiracies against him.

The other members of After the Burial responded with a Facebook post of their own, in which they wrote: "Our dear friend, our brother onstage and off, has fallen into a very broken state of mind .... Justin is ill, and right now he needs more than ever to be shown that the world is not against him."

Condolences and tributes from other metal bands quickly appeared on social media after Lowe's death was announced Wednesday.

According to City Pages, After the Burial is known for its thundering eight-string guitars and bellowing vocals. Lowe, who was from Vadnais Heights, started the band with high school friends in 2004, City Pages says.